Niese has never been a steady source of strikeouts, but last season brought a new level of his contact-heavy approach, as he generated a career-low 5.8-percent swinging-strike rate but managed to post...

Agreed to a five-year, $25.5 million deal in April 2012 with two team options that can raise the value to $46 million. Niese gets a $250,000 signing bonus and a $769,500 salary in 2012, $3 million in 2013, $5 million in 2014, $7 million in 2015 and $9 million in 2016. The Mets also hold club options for 2017 ($10 million, $500,000 buyout) and 2018 ($10.5 million, $500K buyout).